Why should the SW be locked down with everyone else when cases are still low?

[artisanparsnips]

Obviously I have a vested interest in this, being in the SW, but cases here - south of Bristol - have been negligible, and have been at that level for months.

And yet we will have to be locked down with everyone else. I realise it's probably going to happen, but am a bit unimpressed that the disparity is not even being mentioned, because it's not London.

I agree, it'll be nonsensical if it happens. Cases are low near me too. Why should all the local businesses suffer? It would be a terrible decision from the point of view of the economy. As much needs to be open as is safe.

I thought they were just going to lockdown areas with high number of cases? I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere that they are going to lockdown areas with low cases. Do you have a link?

Where have you heard this?

That’s why there isn’t a national lockdown. I actually think they have got it right with localised lockdowns where cases are high.

All the discussions about 'short sharp shock' lockdowns, or more stringent rules are giving the impression that they are going to be applied nationally.

The rule of 6 applies to us as well, even though cases weren't going up beforehand.

From the latest BBC news reports

Here's what it is important to know:

The government is not considering a new lockdown across the country right now.

The prime minister is not about to tell everyone to stay at home as he did from the Downing Street desk in March.

Ministers have no intention at all to close schools again.

Nor, right now, are they planning to tell every business, other than the non-essential, to close again.

There's no proof this will happen yet. There are lots of little areas around the county (including mine) that have low cases. The issue is that people just go to the areas that aren't locked down and cause spread there. It's also harder to police if not nationwide. A 2 week short circuit could help the whole country.

@BabyLlamaZen I agree about the little areas, but infection rates are really low right across Cornwall, Somerset, Devon and Wiltshire, and at least in Wiltshire are actually dropping. It's a huge chunk of the country.

Good news that cases are low down there... and the reintroduction of the most feared tourists haven't brought it to you.

I looked at the full list of cases by area earlier. Where I live its under 10 per 100,000 and there were a lot of areas below us in the list. It would be crazy to give those places bigger restrictions right now.

Maybe it's low now, but levels are rising in SW just as in rest of country

They have to consider whether having a number of varying local lockdown rules is too confusing. I used to assume it wouldn’t be but as we now know the rule of six flummoxed quite a few people, it best to stick the simple.

Also enforcement requires national legislation.

Also unis are about to go back.

You've got Exeter, Plymouth, Bristol

Further south than you, OP, but same story with very low rates of infection in the area, even after a busy holiday season and numerous shock!horror! pics of crowded harbour area on facebook

I'm strongly hoping the govt stick to their plan of taking further action on a local basis only, as even the Rule of Six seems unnecessary here atm

@artisanparsnips

All the discussions about 'short sharp shock' lockdowns, or more stringent rules are giving the impression that they are going to be applied nationally.

The rule of 6 applies to us as well, even though cases weren't going up beforehand.

I don't think it will be economic lockdown. Whitty hinted as stopping households mixing.

Well maybe that's how they stick to the line about 'no more national lockdowns'. Restrict the movements of 90% of the population but leave a couple of low risk counties unrestricted.

Hence no national lockdown, but of course, people who live in lockdown areas won't be able to visit the likes of Devon and Cornwall so it will still be affected as people who live in the rest of the country won't be able to go there on holiday.

@LemonTT

They have to consider whether having a number of varying local lockdown rules is too confusing. I used to assume it wouldn’t be but as we now know the rule of six flummoxed quite a few people, it best to stick the simple.

Also enforcement requires national legislation.

I don't think the rule of six flummoxed anyone. People just chose to ignore it.

It's tricky. One the one hand, cases are low here and it's unreasonable to restrict people in that circumstance. On the other hand, numbers are rising here too, showing that we're behind rather than different. Whatever keeps our schools and healthcare as open and normal as possible I suppose.

Hopefully they won't . It's so different here from when I've had to travel elsewhere in the country for work but I have noticed a lot of mask refuses lately

It's already in at least 4 schools in n somerset and somerset.
It was very hard to get a test the other week. So there may be a lot of people not tested who needed it.

But i agree some areas do look ok at the moment

Likewise here in Suffolk. We’ve been consistently low throughout because we’re not densely populated and have plenty of space to spread out I assume

I read this morning that the R rate in the SW is the highest in the country at the moment. Living in the SW myself, I am a little bit concerned tbh

Last week they were rumouring that’s they’d introduce a tier system for across the country, rather than local lockdowns with different rules everywhere. They thought it’d start in tier 2, with no household mixing, curfews on hospitality businesses, etc. I wonder if that’s still the plan...

Same here in Powys, Wales. It is one of the most rural counties in the uk and I can't see it spreading here. Our figures went up a small bit due to a factory outbreak, now they are back down to 4.5 per 100,000. I'm willing to stick to the rules for national lockdown though, if it came to it. Just lucky to live here.

@Neolara

Maybe it's low now, but levels are rising in SW just as in rest of country

On the government graph this morning it showed a number of areas where the rate of cases is going down.